Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spin pumping is a rapidly growing field which has demonstrated promising results in a variety of material systems. This technique utilizes the resonant precession of magnetization in a ferromagnet to inject spin into an
adjacent non-magnetic material. Spin pumping into graphene is attractive on account of its exceptional spin transport properties. This article reports on FMR characterization of cobalt grown on CVD graphene and examines the validity of linewidth broadening as an indicator of spin pumping. In comparison to cobalt samples without graphene, direct contact cobalt-on-graphene exhibits increased FMR linewidth--an often used signature of spin pumping. Similar results are obtained in Co/MgO/graphene structures, where a 1nm MgO layer acts as a tunnel barrier. However, SQUID, MFM, and Kerr microscopy measurements demonstrate increased magnetic disorder in cobalt grown on graphene, perhaps due to changes in the growth process and an increase in defects. This magnetic disorder may account for the observed linewidth enhancement due to effects such as two-magnon scattering or mosaicity. As such, it is not possible to conclude successful spin injection into graphene from FMR linewidth measurements alone.
We present a novel method to image spin properties of spintronic systems using the spatially confined field of a scanned micromagnetic probe, in conjunction with existing electrical or optical global spin detection schemes. It is thus applicable to a
ll materials systems susceptible to either of those approaches. The proposed technique relies on numerical solutions to the spin diffusion equation in the presence of spatially varying fields to obtain the local spin response to the micromagnetic probe field. These solutions also provide insight into the effects of inhomogeneities on Hanle measurements.
